It is OK...Jorge Juan

It is OK with me if Jorge Juan wants to wear the same T-shirt for a couple days in a row and also if he wants to wear miss-matched socks. It is a part of having an opinion and say in things. It is OK with me if Jorge Juan wants to jump on his bed and put stickers all over his wall, it is a part of self expression. It is OK if Jorge Juan does not eat all of his dinner because he loves to drink water and he lets us know when he is hungry. No one wants to be forced to eat, so it is OK. It is OK for Jorge Juan to want long hair, therefore we will not force hi to cut it. This is also a part of his identity and self expression which is very important to children. It is OK if Jorge Juan wants to wear clothes that do not match because he is getting the opportunity to make a choice based on his likenesses. It is OK for Jorge Juan to have fun, play and make a big mess. It is important not to stop the learning and playing process. That is a child's work. It is OK for him to also help clean and have responsibilities. It is OK if he wants to write his name like this, JoRge because he is writing well and has advanced well in his fine motor skills. It is OK for Jorge Juan to get dirty, after all that is what soap is for. He can dig for worms, play outside, run, make a mess of his clothes because he is healthy enough to do so and that is also what being a child is about. It is OK if he does not want to complete his homework all at one sitting. Children need breaks, mentally, physically and emotionally just as we do. It is OK if Jorge Juan watches TV because he can learn a lot from quality programming and also because he loves to read, a lot. It is OK for Jorge Juan to not take a bath every single night, he is a kid but he does know the importance of brushing his teeth and going to the dentist. It is OK for Jorge Juan to play game son his tablet and also to play in a kitchen area holding a doll baby if he so chooses to. It is all about imagination and the learning of life skills. It is OK for him to voice his opinion and feelings as they need to be validated as any other person's. It is OK for him to eat candy and pop corn because he loves to eat fish (I do not, my husband does) and eats lots of raw fruits and vegetables. It is OK for Jorge Juan to color minions red and the Hulk black if he chooses to. It is creativity and thinking outside the box. It is OK for him to pretend play using figures, blocks, spoons, sticks, cups or anything else that is not a traditional "toy". This is where great learning happens. It is OK for him to slide down the stairs, after all it is beneficial for children to engage in risky play. It is OK for Jorge Juan to be friends with all types of children despite gender, race or religion. It is OK for him to say that he does not want to go to school. We all have our days where we are just tired and want to stay in bed. It is OK for him to watch the same movie time after time because he made the choice to do so. It is OK if he stims in public, burps or farts, as long a she holds his manners and says excuse me, for the latter 2 of course. He shall never have to be made ashamed for stimming and people see him as I will never try and stop him.

And it is OK that he is on the autism spectrum because look at all he can do. It is a blessing. He just does not have special needs, he has all the needs and desires of typical children everywhere.

My Boy: Part 51

Jorge Juan is very excited that our family is here from Ecuador. He is super happy that he has his cousin, who is 7, to play with. They get along very well. Both of them have been taking good care of Jorge's guinea pigs. Jorge Juan is an only child so to have another kid in the house makes him excited. he has been flapping here and there and continuously jumping out of happiness. he almost had a sensory overload. He is becoming sensitive to sounds again. Loud yells and screams at karate class, he covers his ears. When flusing the toilet, he covers his ears. Now he has not been doing that for a very long time and it started up once again. When I use the Vitamix in the morning to make juice, he has to covers his ears and runs to the living room. Thank God he has not had any ear infections or any problems with his ears ever since he had the tubes put in his ears. Since then, they have fallen out. So far so good.

He had a trip to the dentist the other day. Words cannot describe how proud my husband and I are. There are really no words to describe it. Jorge did an amazing job. Smiling and laughing the whole way through. He even wanted to get x rays of his teeth. he did not need them so the hygienist took an x ray of his finger. he loved it so much. At the end, he got not one, but three toys for doing an amazing job. It was his first real dental cleaning and it was a true success. We are really blessed. He cannot wait to go back again. That day, he had a great day the whole way through and it started from him picking out his clothes for school since he did not have to wear his uniform. He was happy about that and even stated that he was different.

Days like that I forget that he has autism. Usually I do not even think of it any more. To me he is just a kid. He is my child and he is the best he can be in my eyes and i would never want to change hi for the world. Autism is a blessing in disguise. It was not always so but I thank God for Jorge Juan every day. He can see, hear, walk, play and is healthy. What more can I ask for?

My Boy: Part 46

Jorge Juan loves doing his homework lately. He is really into it. It is math. He has always loved numbers and been very good at counting. He uses foam blocks and dominos to count. I am really impressed at a wonderful job that he is doing and the improvements that he is making. He is comfortable holding a pencil with the correct tripod grip. His writing, in general, is more controlled and very neat and understandable. He is having fun and enjoying the learning process with less frustration and meltdowns. He is excited when he is doing hand son projects and sensory activities. The point for me is to make a strong connection between fun and learning. I want Jorge Juan to grow up loving to learn. I have been blessed that he really loves school and loves books. I read to him when he was in the womb. I would always go to the library and pick up books to read to him. I really believe in this.From before he could speak as a baby and toddler, he loved to read and look at words from a book. Also, when I was pregnant with Jorge Juan, I did Sudoku puzzles, so many of those Sudoku puzzles every day, in a book and on Nintendo DS. This is also a part why I believe he is good with numbers and enjoys math. I believe that him being on the Autism Spectrum is  a huge blessing. It took a lot to get use to but I would not ever change him for the world. My husband and I are blessed as parents and very proud of the achievements that he has made in his 5 years of life. He started his first year of Pre K without speaking and in diapers. He was in diapers for the whole year of first year Pre K. He went to pull ups and eventually out of diapers towards the middle to end of second year Pre K. The toilet training was a battle in which we overcame. Never give up.

He is loving, caring and empathetic. He is curious and loves to be creative. He loves God. he loves babies, animals and people. He is healthy. He is learning. He can see, walk, talk...why would i ever want to change that? Autism is just a label, that is all. Never give up. If you go back and read the start of Jorge Juan's journey, you will see what he has been through, overcame and made it out the other side. It can happen. Never give up.